WASHINGTON - The federal government's own "Catch me if You Can" story ended Wednesday when a judge sentenced a former high ranking EPA official to 32 months in prison after he missed 2½ years of work by claiming to work for the CIA.

John Beale, 65, had admitted getting paid for work he did not perform, $500,000 in bonuses he did not deserve, and first class travel to California unrelated to his EPA duties.

The CIA said Beale never worked for the agency.

When he did work, prosecutors said, he claimed to need a special parking space on grounds he had contracted malaria, a false claim that cost the government $8,000 over three years."

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Smith said Beale had abused his office in "notorious, historic fashion."

Asked by Judge Ellen Huvelle why he did it, Beale, 65, at one time the highest paid employee at EPA, offered this explanation:

"In hindsight, I think, how stupid could a person be? Shame has become my constant companion this past year."

The case was reminiscent of the real life character, Frank Abagnale Jr., the subject of a hit 2002 movie "Catch me if you can," , who masqueraded successfully as a Pam Am pilot, doctor, and prosecutor.

Huvelle wanted to know what Beale did all those many months he was supposed to be working for the EPA, but conned his bosses into thinking he was on top-secret mission for the CIA.

No, he wasn't just vacationing at some beach, he said, but working on his homes, and doing a research project. He told the judge that he had "abused and betrayed" the trust he had developed during a long career at EPA. He had previously agreed to return $900,000 in fraudulently obtained salary and bonuses.

A report by the EPA Inspector General, requested by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., blamed lax management at the agency for the fraud.

"The case this morning highlights a massive problem with the EPA, and figuring out why this corruption occurred with apparently no one the wiser needs to remain a priority of our Committee," said Vitter, the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "This sentencing and the recent reports release begin to shed light on something perhaps far larger than even the initial investigations indicated. At minimum, $900,000 of the taxpayers' money was stolen right under Administrator Gina McCarthy's nose. We need to know just how vulnerable is this Agency."

McCarthy, who was confirmed as EPA administrator on July 19, was Beale's supervisor at the agency's Air Division. EPA.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said it was McCarthy who uncovered Beale's fraudulent conduct, which began in 2000, according to some reports.

"I commend the EPA Administrator for taking steps to shine a light on the actions of this rogue employee, and her actions helped uncover his crimes," Boxer said. "The sentence handed down by the judge today is appropriate given Mr. Beale's outrageous activities. EPA has already put safeguards in place to prevent fraud and deception from happening in the future. Once the EPA Inspector General's investigation has been completed, I am confident that EPA will implement any additional measures necessary to ensure that this does not happen again."